Into The Jungle
by FrostyFingers
Summary: Lizzie and Red are on the run, hiding in the Rainforest of Costa Rica, when they get attacked. [Lizzington] some fluff, some angst... I love flangst


**AN:** So, here's another one of these one-shot idea I've had. I swear there are like a million fic ideas running through my head and poor redisthenewblackington get them all thrown at her. Thank you for being a great beta and even better friend. Gotta love brainstorming with you!

 **Disclaimer:** As if I own anything.

 **Into The Jungle**

After hours and hours on the run, Liz was more than exhausted. Her shirt was sticky, her hair a mess, her feet hurt and she was in desperate need of a shower. Even Red had dressed down, if you could call it that. He had taken off his jacket and tie, rolled up his sleeves, and even his fedora was stuffed into his bag. If their endless time on the road had been bad, she had no words to describe what walking all these miles through what seemed like a never ending jungle, was like.

He noticed how her shoulders were slumped, her head slightly hung, her eyes soley on the ground. Rays of light shone through the thick line of trees, illuminating her feminine frame. She couldn't possibly know how beautiful she was that moment.

"It's not far from here now," he said, gently touching her arm. She looked up at him and his heart constricted at the pain shining brightly in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Tired," she replied. Her voice sounded off, probably because she hadn't spoken at all in hours. He hated seeing her like that.

"Do you want to take a break?" She shook her head. Red watched her bite the inside of her cheek and let his hand wander from her arm to her back, not stopping until he had reached the other side of her waist. He gently started pulling her into his chest, but she pushed against him.

"I'm all yucky."

"I don't care."

"Red," she whined, but he had already closed both arms around her.

He softly kissed her forehead. "Everything is going to be alright, I promise."

Allowing herself a moment of weakness, Liz sagged against him, her head coming to a rest under his chin while her arms moved to hug him. They stayed like that for a few moments, taking the time to recharge their energy.

She stroked her thumb over his side before slowly pulling away. "Thank you."

He just smiled and then started walking again, his hand at the small of her back, guiding her along. True to his words they had reached their destination within the next hour. "We're here," he said, dramatically presenting the hut.

She couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her throat at his antics. "Where's 'here' anyway?"

"Why, the rainforest of Costa Rica."

"I'm not even going to ask why you have a hut in the rainforest of Costa Rica."

He grinned and then opened the door, gesturing for her to enter. "I haven't been here in a long time, but no worries. It's been cleaned."

"The cleanliness of this place was actually far from my mind right now, Red." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, at least it's one less thing to worry about. Come, I'll show you the bedroom."

"Is there somewhere I can freshen up before?"

He cocked his side to the head. "While there's a restroom with a sink, I'm afraid showers and baths must be taken outside." She merely raised a brow and waited for him to continued. "There's a waterfall right behind the hut. The lake's water is crystal clear."

"Alright, I'll try that then. I just feel so disgusting right now." She pulled at her sweaty shirt.

"You're anything but," he told her. "You'll find soap and shampoo in the restroom and there's clothes for you in the bedroom."

"Clothes for me?"

He smiled. "I told you the place was recently cleaned. It's also well stocked." She fondly shook her head at him and went to gather the things she needed. "I'll get some lunch ready. You must be famished."

As he was happily chopping away, preparing a fresh, crisp salad for them, something outside caught his eye. He didn't realize that he had stopped breathing until his lungs began to burn. After all, it had only been a little over a week since he'd gotten shot. That incident was far from his mind now though. All he could see was _her_. She was so beautiful, with her head thrown back as she let the cold water rinse her hair, rippling down her flawless back, disappearing at the swell of her buttocks that he unfortunately couldn't see. Her naked body was shielded from his hot gaze by blooming flowers, but the flora and fauna didn't hold his interest. She was his blooming flower, his ray of light, his whole world and she was breathtaking, literally.

It took him a long time to turn away from the sight and when he did, he could feel his desire for her pressing painfully against the inside of his zipper. This was not the time. Actually, there was no time for this at all, ever, because she'd never want him in her life. Not like he wanted her, anyway.

A short time later, he could hear the door open and shut again and he quickly pressed his lower half against the counter and continued chopping the vegetables. He was an experienced cook, capable of making a salad with minimal conscious thought for the process, but with the blood from his brain traveling south, he must have been a little clumsy. The knife slipped and he cut his finger.

"Fuck!" He cursed and dropped the knife to put pressure on the wound.

"Are you okay?" Liz asked in a worried tone as she hurried to his side. He grumbled in response. "Red?"

"I'm fine. Just cut myself. Damn…"

"Lemme see." She had probably never heard him curse before. Carefully taking his hand in hers, she pulled his other hand away to look at the damage. The cut to his finger wasn't that big, but it was still bleeding, so she held it under the stream of water in the sink. "Do you have anything I can put on there?"

"In the drawer to your left." She quickly found the package of bandaids and dried his hand before carefully putting one over his wound. Running her finger gently over the bandage, she said, "There, all better now."

"Thank you, Lizzie. I can't believe I did that. The tomato is ruined."

She smiled as she leaned against the counter. "Well, it could've been worse."

"How so?"

"You could've cut your cucumber."

He choked at her reply and almost had a coughing fit. Had she really just said that? The cold shower must have taken some of the tension from her. Unsure of how to reply, Red decided to change the topic. "Had a nice swim?" He asked.

She grinned knowingly, but chose not to call him out on his flustered state. On the inside, she was cheering all the while. This must have been the first time that she had caught him off guard. "I only showered. Can't risk falling asleep and drowning. It's beautiful back there." He smiled at her. "Can I help?"

"You can set the table. This is almost done."

After lunch, Liz couldn't stifle her yawn anymore and it made him smile. "Why don't you go get some rest?" She nodded and rubbed her eyes. Red turned back to the papers that were lying in front of him and almost jumped out of his skin when he felt her hands on his waist.

She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and then, after hugging him close for another moment, she pulled away again. "Thank you, Red. G'night."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he replied softly and only after she had left the room, he dared to breathe again. She was going to be the death of him.

They stayed in the quiet paradise for almost a month and Liz was actually quite happy in her surroundings. Staying with Red wasn't as bad as she would have thought. He was very considerate, always included her when it came to making decisions. He was a great cook too, and almost always fun to be around. He'd tried teaching her chess, but she actually fell asleep when he had taken too long on a move. Instead of being offended, Red simply carried her to the bedroom. He always slept on the couch though, and she wasn't sure what he would say if she asked him to sleep in bed with her, but she was too afraid of his rejection.

Her peaceful slumber was disturbed by Red shaking her awake. "Come on. Wake up, sweetheart."

"Uh…" She turned her head and buried her face in the pillow.

"Lizzie, you need to wake up," he said, this time a little louder.

"For god's sake, Red…" Liz groaned and glared at him. "What the hell?!"

"Get up, now." He pulled open a drawer and handed her some clothes, putting her shoes next to the bed. "You need to hurry."

Rubbing her eyes, Liz sat up. "What's going on?"

"We need to leave."

His voice was strained and she realized that he wasn't kidding. As quickly as she could, Liz put on the clothes and let him pull her outside through the backdoor. It was pitch-black outside and she could barely make out his form. She was scared. Not being able to see anything didn't make it better, and the cold wasn't helping either.

Red shushed her first attempt at speaking up and had just pulled her along. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since their flight and a tremor ran through her whole body when she finally realized that they weren't safe anymore. He was pushing her forward and sometimes hung back a couple of steps and Liz couldn't help but turn whenever it felt like he was too far back. Her foot got caught on something and she found herself on the ground, her breath knocked from her lungs. He was at her side immediately and helped her up, patting her down for any injuries. Her clothes were slightly wet and she knew she was dirty by now and surely there were leaves in her hair as well. Red put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?" She nodded, even though she knew he could barely see her too.

He started walking again, but stopped when he heard her hissing in pain. "Lizzie?"

"I think I hurt my ankle…"

Kneeling down, he gently touched both ankles for comparison, trying to determine how bad her injury was. "It's not broken at least. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we have to keep going." He wound one of his arms around her waist and pulled her arm over his shoulder, hurrying further into the dark jungle.

"What's going on, Red?" She whispered.

"I'm not sure. Someone breached the security measures on the North side." They could hear shouting from far away and stopped once more. "Listen to me. I want you to take this and keep walking straight ahead. I don't want you to stop until you can be sure you're a safe as can be." He handed her a flashlight and held out a gun.

"What? Red!"

"There's a tracking device in the breast pocket of your jacket. If we're not heard from for more than three days, it will be activated and someone will come to get you."

"Red, stop." Her bottom lip was trembling along with the rest of her body.

"I'll try to distract them and lead them away from you." A sob escaped her throat at his words and his heart hurt for her. "Take the gun and leave. The magazine is full."

"No… Red… no…" Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck before he could respond and she pressed her cheek to his. The feeling of her hot tears against his face almost broke him.

He hugged her tightly for a moment. This would most likely be his last chance. "You'll be alright. I promise you. Run, find a good spot to hide. Don't come out of hiding until you hear someone ask for the color of the sky." He nuzzled her hair with his nose and then pulled back, holding out the gun again.

"Come with me," she whispered and her voice trembled.

"Lizzie… I need you to be safe. Take this and go."

Sniffing, she ran the back of her hand over her eyes. "No. Either you come with me or you hold onto that. I'm not letting you run around without a gun."

"Lizzie, please… None of this is worse than losing you."

"Exactly… None of this is worse than losing _you_ ," she replied.

"God, sweetheart…" He almost groaned. "Fine, you win." He put the gun into the back of his pants and cupped her face. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie. For everything. I don't even know where to start."

"Please don't. Don't make this a goodbye, Red," she cried and her tears ran over his thumbs.

"Whatever happens, you'll always be cared for. Just be safe for a little while."

"Please don't leave me."

He swallowed hard. He was so close to just saying 'to hell with it all' and running away with her, but he had to keep her safe. That had always been his top priority. Pulling her close, he pressed a hard kiss on her lips, tasting her salty tears. "Go," he said in a strained voice, but she didn't move. "Go!" He pushed her forward and watched as she made her way through the bush, the pain in his chest at the realization of their situation almost bringing him to his knees.

He would never see her again.

It took him a full minute to get a grip and he turned and started running back in the direction they had come from, staying slightly to the right in order to draw them away from the house. He didn't think, not like he usually did. His mind was occupied with Lizzie and her well-being. She had to be safe at whatever costs. He could see the group of men, reduced to faceless shadows, making their way through the rainforest. He waited for them to get a little closer before he took off to the right, making an excessive amount of noise to be sure that they'd hear him. There was shouting, a lot of it, and then it sounded like a whole herd of elephants was chasing him.

He might not be the youngest and fittest anymore, especially after his most recent injury, but he was still a smart one. That thought was short-lived as he suddenly found himself surrounded by men with guns, lots of guns. And they were all pointed in his direction. Red was about to open his mouth to drop a sardonic remark when he was knocked to the ground with the butt of a gun. He grunted in pain but stayed down, knowing how unwise it would be to antagonize them further.

"Did you think we wouldn't find you?" One of them asked.

Ah, fuck it. He couldn't resist. "Well, I'd have hoped for it. Sure took you awhile. Did you get lost along the way? You look stupid enough to fool." He got kicked in the side for that comment.

"Where's the girl?"

"What girl?" Another kick to the side had him gasping for air. "Oh… you mean Maria. Well, she never stays the night. She always leaves after..." He should learn to keep his mouth shut, the blow to his head had hurt.

"Where is she?" He asked again, but Red just looked up at him. There was blood trickling from his mouth already, and his chest hurt like hell. "Alright, don't tell me, but know this: we will find her, and when we do, my men and I are going to have a good time with her. She looks like a feisty one. Is she like that in bed, as well? When we're done with her, I'm gonna kill her fucking slowly, make her feel her own life slipping away."

Enraged, Red leaned up but was kicked to the ground once more. "You put one finger on her and it'll be the last thing you do," he swore in a dangerously low tone.

"You know… we might not kill you right away. Maybe we'll make you watch. I think that sounds wonderful." The dark-haired man laughed.

Red was up and on his feet before anyone could react and his fist connected painfully with the goons jaw. The younger man stumbled back and with one hand on his mouth, he reached for his handgun and pulled the trigger.

Liz inhaled sharply at the sound of a shot being fired. For a moment she couldn't breathe. It had been one single shot. Not two, but one. Execution style. Her heart started beating wildly in her chest as tears once more welled up in her eyes. The silence was deafening. How desperately she wanted him to shout out to her that he was alright, or even better, have him emerge from the bushes and take her in his arms. She shouldn't have left him. She should've kissed him back and made him come with her, telling him that if he loved her as much as she loved him, he wouldn't think twice about coming with her. But something inside her told her that this would be yet another reason for him to go, because he simply could not lose her. But she couldn't lose him either.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way through the thick line of trees, following the sound of that single gunshot. If there was a chance that he was still alive, she'd make use of it. She tightened her grip on the heavy, switched-off flashlight, poised and ready to strike as she stealthily moved along. She could hear voices as she got closer and before she knew it, they were right in front of her. Thankfully, her dirty wet clothes camouflaged her with the jungle underbrush, unseen.

When she spotted Red lying flat on his back, Liz had to cover her mouth to stifle a gasp. There was blood, so much blood, but she couldn't make out where it was coming from. She had to get him out of there so she could tend to his wounds. With straining eyes, she counted six men standing around the prone Concierge of Crime, and one of them stood a little off to the side. He was her best chance.

Inching closer, she tightened her fingers around the metal of the flashlight and pulled her arm back before striking the man on the back of the head as hard as she could. The sound was somewhat sickening, but she didn't care one bit. She grabbed the unconscious man's gun just before the rest of the gang turned towards her. Throwing the flashlight at one man's face, Liz started shooting, mentally counting the bullets. She had to shoot to kill. There was no time for a deep breath to wait for her FBI training to kick in now. One of them managed to hit her in the arm, but her aim didn't waiver as she took out every last one of them. To be sure, she even put a bullet in the one she had knocked out first and then hurried to Red's side.

She fell to her knees next to him, her hands cupping his face. "Red! Red, can you here me? Red!"

"Lizzie…" He slurred.

"Oh, thank god," she breathed and patted his body down for injuries. "Just hold on for me."

"Lizzie…" He said again and his eyes slowly focused on her. "You shouldn't… have come…"

"I couldn't let them kill you," she told him and put pressure on the wound in his stomach. "We need to get you to the house."

Red coughed and blood trickled from his mouth. "If… if they had gotten to you… it all… would've been… in vain. You have to… think… about yourself…"

She ignored him. "Which way to the house? Can you sit up?"

He reached out and touched her thigh. "Sweetheart… You need to leave. There… will be more…"

"I'm not leaving you behind. Come on, you need to help me a little. I can't carry you."

Squeezing her leg once, he tried to smile up at her. "Contact Dembe. He'll get you out."

"Be quiet. Just help me to help you!"

"Lizzie…" His eyes were becoming heavy and there was no way he could stay awake any longer. "Sweetheart… I… I love –"

"Stop!" She cried, tears spilling over once more. "Just stop! Don't say that now. You can tell me later. Please, Red, tell me later."

He smiled sadly and his grip on her leg tightened momentarily. "I love you." With that, his eyes slid closed and the fingers on her body grew lax.

"No. Red, no! Wake up. Come on. Open your eyes for me. Red, please." She was sobbing now, her vision blurry, her lungs hurting from the lack of air, as she desperately grabbed onto him, willing for him to move. "Oh god, please, Red, open your eyes for me. Red… Red! I love you, too. Please wake up. Please, you can't leave me! Red!" She cried out, her head on his chest as her body started shaking uncontrollably.

She had lost him. She had lost him before she had even had him in the first place.

 **LizzingtonLizzingtonLizzington**

She was standing under the waterfall, letting the shockingly-cold liquid run over her head and down her back. It was a welcome reprieve from the stifling, sticky afternoon heat.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she gladly leaned back against the broad chest, moaning when lips started nibbling at the soft skin of her neck. The hands on her body didn't stop moving as they went further down, and she turned in the embrace so they cupped her butt and squeezed. She could feel something hard pressing against her belly now.

"Insatiable, mh?"

He grinned cheekily at her. "What can I say, sweetheart? It's your fault really."

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close so that their foreheads were touching. "I love you."

Just like every other time she spoke those words, it made his breath hitch. With a growl he pulled her more tightly against him and covered her mouth with his, kissing her like he'd yearned to for so long. Her nails gently scratched over the back of his head, and though his hair was slightly longer, it was still short enough that it gave her the prickling sensation that she loved so much. She pulled back after a while and he whined slightly.

Swatting at his chest, she smiled up at him, her eyes shining brightly with happiness. "Come on, you wash my back and I wash yours."

"But Lizzie… why bother getting clean when I wanted us to get dirty now?" Laughter bubbled up in her throat. "I love it when you laugh. I love your laugh, your smile, your eyes, your lips… I love you."

"Raym-" Before she could finish his name, his lips descended upon hers again, plunging his tongue into her mouth.

"I love you, Lizzie. So much." Red smiled at her, the smile that was reserved for her only and pulled her even closer, holding her tightly as the water ran over them. "Your thoughts on the Philippines?"

Her lips pursed to kiss the small scar she had given him all those months ago. "I mean, I liked Costa Rica, the shooting part not included, of course, but this... it's breathtakingly beautiful. I don't care where we are though, as long as you're with me. You don't get to leave me."

"So I guess I'm stuck with you then, mh?" He pulled his head back to look at her, a fond smile on his face.

"You bet."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."


End file.
